Literature by Period - Exodus Books

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In the West we have what is called a teleological view of history. That means that the scope of human civilization and events, from its earliest time till now, is actually going someplace. Whether that place is Ragnarok, Armageddon, the New Jerusalem, or an alien apocalypse depends on which worldview you're espousing, but it's hard for people with European heritage to think in terms of the circularity of history, or that history is going nowhere, just on an on and on into the infinite future.

As Christians, we believe history is on its way to Christ. That may be a little simplistic, but ultimately God has ordered and guided history according to His will for it, and its completion is entirely in His hands....but only after the intended progression of events has been completed. If this is true, history can be seen, not merely as endless repetition, but as a line drawn between point A and some as yet indistinguishable (from a human perspective) point B.

The literature of any period, therefore, can only be understood by the particular historical stage and cultural context in which it was written. If history isn't stagnant, literature can't be either, and any writer is going to reflect (consciously or unconsciously) the attitudes prevalent around him. If you didn't know Cervantes was mocking the "courtly love" and chivalric ideals of Medieval Europe, Don Quixote wouldn't make near as much sense. A lot of Shakespeare's references are to cultural customs he witnessed. Charles Dickens includes so many scenes of social injustice because the England of his day was rife with oppression and mistreatment.

This intersection of history and literature isn't one-directional. To really understand history, it's essential to read the literature of the day. Sure, a history book published last year about the Roman Empire might yield plenty of good information, but reading Caesar's Gallic Wars will not only offer a firsthand perspective, it will also reveal a lot of contemporary attitudes most historians find it difficult to capture. A list of similar examples would require several books, and believe me, they exist.

We've chosen specific periods as categories both to reflect the generally accepted important literary and historical epochs, and based on how many books from each period we carry. If your favorite period isn't immediately recognizable on the list, you might just have to look a little deeper—for instance, we don't have a category for books written in China during the Boxer Rebellion, but that doesn't mean we don't have books that meet that criteria. Okay, we don't, but we have plenty of other titles representing the full scope of literary history from the ancients to the postmodern age.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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Parent Categories

Fiction & Literature

Literature & Adult Fiction

Literature by Period

Subcategories

Ancient Literature

Medieval Literature

Renaissance & Reformation Literature

17th Century Literature

18th Century Literature

19th Century Literature

20th & 21st Century Literature

- Man Booker Prize

- National Book Award

- Nobel Prize in Literature

- Pulitzer Prize

44 Items found Print

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4th grade (Ages 9-10),

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	A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set by Charles Dickens from Focus on the Family for 1st-Adult in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Aesop's Fables by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham from Macmillan Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-Adult in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC) $14.99
	Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by John Tenniel from SeaWolf Press Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $6.89
	All the World's A Stage Speeches, Poems and Songs from William Shakespeare by William Shakespeare from Fulcrum Group for 4th-Adult in Shakespeare Materials (Location: LIR-SHA) $14.00 (1 in stock)
	Around the World in 80 Days (abridged) by Jules Verne, abridged by Hilda Young, illustrated by Gianni Demo from World Distributors (Manchester) for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien, Illustrated by Pauline Baynes from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $16.99
	Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson from Puffin Books for 4th-8th grade 2015 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Award, National Book Award in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.99
	C. S. Lewis: The Ultimate Collection by C. S. Lewis for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $613.84
	Child's Garden of Verses Arcadia by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Charles Robinson from Princess House Books Poetry for 1st-5th grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	David Copperfield (adapted) by Charles Dickens; retold by Clare West from Oxford University for 3rd-6th grade in Adapted or Abridged (Location: SER-ABR) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Dickens' Stories about Children by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Clara Burd, introduction by Elizabeth Lodor Merchant from John C. Winston for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	ECL: Virginian Educator Classic Library #6 by Owen Wister, illustrated by Don Irwin Complete and Unabridged Edition from Classic Press in Educator Classic Library (Location: VIN-ECL) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Gift of the Magi & Other Short Stories Dover Thrift Editions by O. Henry from Dover Publications for 4th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 $2.00 (7 in stock)
	Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, illustrated by Kevin King from Simon and Schuster for 4th-10th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Gift of the Magi and Other Stories by O. Henry, illustrated by P. J. Lynch from Candlewick Press for 4th-10th grade in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY) $17.99
	Grimm's Fairy Tales Windermere Readers #4 by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Hope Dunlap 1954 printing from Rand McNally for 4th-10th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Hans Christian Andersen: The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories by Hans Christian Andersen, Translated by Erik Christian Haugaard 1983 Anchor Books Edition from Anchor Books for 2nd-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $25.00
	Here There Be Angels by Jane Yolen, illustrated by David Wilgus from Harcourt, Brace & Company for 3rd-6th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Mass-Market Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien Mti from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $35.96
	Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Softbound Boxed Set by J. R. R. Tolkien from Houghton Mifflin Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX) $72.00
	Iliad Graphic Novel by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds from Candlewick Press for 3rd-8th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $17.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
	Jungle Books Signet Classics by Rudyard Kipling from Signet Classics Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $5.95
	Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling from Crescent Books for 1st-6th grade in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	Kidnapped Everyman's Library Children's Classics by Robert Louis Stevenson from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Action/Adventure for 4th-8th grade in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $20.00
	Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving from Philomel Books in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Les Miserables (adapted) Stepping Stones: A Chapter Book by Victor Hugo, Adapted by Monica Kulling from Random House Historical Fiction for 1st-4th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $2.50 (1 in stock)
	Letters to Children by C. S. Lewis from Charles Scribner's Sons Autobiographical Letters for 3rd-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $16.00
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harvest House Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $11.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harvest House Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $6.00 (2 in stock)
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery, translated by Richard Howard from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in Everyman's Library Children's Classics (Location: FIC-ELC) $18.00
	Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery from Harcourt Fantasy for 3rd-Adult in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $7.50 (1 in stock)
	Lost Names Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim 2^nd edition from University of California Press for 3rd-5th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $23.95
	Odyssey Graphic Novel by Homer, adapted by Gareth Hinds from Candlewick Press for 4th-6th grade in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC) $18.99
	Odyssey of Homer by Alfred J. Church (reteller), illustrated by John Flaxman from Macmillan for 3rd-6th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, Illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith 150th Anniversary from SeaWolf Press Realistic Romantic Fiction for 4th-8th grade in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW) $10.95
	One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Reprint from Amistad Press for 4th-7th grade 2011 Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $9.99
	Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Facsimile Ed from Yesterday's Classics for 2nd-7th grade in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV) $13.95
	Profiles in Courage Young Readers Memorial Edition by John F. Kennedy from HarperCollins Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade 1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Profiles in Courage (abridged) Young Readers Edition by John F. Kennedy, illustrated by Emil Weiss from HarperCollins Biography Anthology for 4th-8th grade 1957 Biography Pulitzer Prize in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $6.00 (2 in stock)
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	Tolkien Reader by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $8.99
	Tolkien Reader by J. R. R. Tolkien from Ballantine Books Fantasy for 4th-12th grade in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20) $3.00 (6 in stock)

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